Operating mechanism for washing machines



June22,1948. l E, DLOGHM 2,443,979

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES v Filed May 23, 1945 INVENTOR.,

or the other, more or less pressure is applied to the member 40 and in that manner the driving member 33 is acted upon with more or less pressure to oscillate the driven member 32 and the agitator shaft 30 through a greater or less angle according to the pressure applied to said member 40.

lVhen fine delicate fabrics are being washed, less pressure is applied to the driving member 38 than is the case with heavier fabrics to provide a less angle of oscillation of the shaft 30. The mechanism is so arranged and constructed that the wheel 32 and agitator shaft may be operated between zero angle and the maximum and is accomplished by applying more or less pressure to the driving member. This may be accomy plished by other means than that shown.

A pinion i is fixed to the agitator shaft 33' and a gear 52 in mesh therewith is mounted for rotation on 'a stud 54. A yoke member 55 is mounted for swinging movements at 58 and it has inner faces 60. right and left hand threads at its opposite ends lili and 56. One end such as 64 is in threaded engagement with the member 68 carried by the housing and its other end in threaded engagement with the pressure member 4i). A collar 'I0 is fixed to the screw 62 and a link 14 has its opposite ends pivotally connected to the members and 55.

As the yoke member 56-is swung in one direction or the other, the member 'l0 of the screw is swung -in one direction or the other so as to turn the screw B2. As the screw 62 is turned in one direction or the other the member 40 is thereby moved. In this way the point at which pressure is applied to the end -of the driving member is varied or `is adjusted-alongthe path of movement of the reciprocating driving member. v

The creep of the angle of oscillation of the agitator shaft is likely to occur with various angles of oscillation which depend on the degree pressure applied to the driving member 38 but the creep is obviated by positioning the pressure member 4i) in certain positions fore and aft and it is so positioned by oscillating or turning the screw 62.

A pin or stud i extends upwardly from the gear 52 which is adapted to engage the inner faces 60 of the member 5S under certain conditions so as to swing said member 56.

- As the driving'wheel 32 is oscillated back and forth by the driving member 38 through a greater or less angle of oscillation depending upon the pressure applied by the member 40, the pinion 5l oscillates so as Vto oscillate the gear 52. As the said gear 52 oscillates the pin 80 thereof is, of course, oscillated back and forth through an angle depending upon the angle of oscillation of the agitator shaft. Should the oscillations of the agitator shaft illstart to creep around the axis of oscillation in one direction or the other the pin Sii brings up against a face 60 of the member 56 to swing it in one direction or the A screw member 62 hasV other thereby through the link 54 moving the member 10 and turning the screw in one direction or the other.

This brings about a movement of the pressure member fore and aft or axially of the screw to shift the point at which pressure is applied to the driving member 38 and thereby to apply the pressure at' a point at which the wheel 32 will not creep.

It has been found that with diiferent degrees of pressure applied to the driving member 4D that said member 40 requires different positions fore and aft to eliminate the objectionable creeping and the adjustment of said member 40 is accomplished by the screw mechanism which is actuated by the member 56. So long as there is no creeping the gear 52 and thereby the stud oscillates back and forth through a certain angle but as soon as there is a tendency of the oscillations to creep the said stud brings up against one or the other of the surfaces 60 of the member 56 to swing said member 56 and bring about an adjustment of the block 40.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Operating mechanism comprising in combination, an oscillatable shaft and an oscillatable driven member thereon, a driving member reciprocable back and forth, said members having complemental engageable faces whereby the former member may be oscillated through various angles by the latter accordingly as varying pressures are applied to the latter, a pressure member for applying various pressures to said driving member movable back and forth in parallelism with the path of movement of the driving member, and means to move said pressure member back and forth.

2. Operating mechanism comprising in combination, an oscillatable shaft and an oscillatable driven member thereon, a driving member reciprocable back and forth, said members having complemental engageable faces whereby the former member may be oscillated through various angles by the latter accordingly as varying pressures are applied to the latter, a pressure member for applying various pressures to said driving member movable back and forth in parallelism with the path of movement of the driving member, and means to movesaid pressure member back and forth operable by said oscillatable shaft. e l

3. Operating mechanism comprising in combination, an oscillatable shaft, a driven member on said shaft, a driving member oscillatable back and forth in a certain path, said members having complemental engageable faces whereby the driven member is oscillated through a certain angle accordingly as a certain pressure is applied to the driving member, a pressure member for applying pressure to the driving member movable back and forth in parallelism with said certain path forshifting the point at which pressure is driven member is oscillated through a certain angle accordingly as a Icertain pressure is applied to the driving member, a pressure member for applying pressure to the driving member movable back and forth in parallelism with said certain path for shifting the point at which pressure is applied to the driving member, and 15 6 means operable by the said shaft for moving the pressure'member back and forth accordingly as the angle of oscillation of said oscillatable shaft tends to move about the axis of oscillation thereof.

LOUIS E. DELOGHIA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,194,430 Litle, Jr Mar. 19, 1940 2,342,435 Strauss et a1. Feb. 22, 1944 

